In a jurisdiction where cannabis is prohibited by law there is little if any protection for consumers of cannabis or cannabis extracts. To protect people from contaminated cannabis products, quality control and the laboratory testing of cannabis and cannabinoid preparations is essential.

In an uncontrolled, unregulated market it is very common to find cannabis contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, toxins and microorganisms. It is also quite common to find products containing mould spores, bacteria and fungus, these contaminants can have a detrimental effect on health, which can be compounded if people are using cannabis for medicinal purposes and they have a compromised immune system.

Producers of pharmaceuticals, food and drink products are strictly regulated and they are required to submit to third-party testing to verify the safety of their products, unfortunately, there is no basic level of safety or quality control under a decriminalised or prohibitive (cannabis) system.

As well as testing for contaminants the potency of cannabis products is also important to cannabis consumers. To protect the consumer and the general public a testing and labelling scheme for cannabis and cannabinoid preparations is required, imagine the chaos if alcohol was not tested and labelled accordingly, the effects of drinking a glass of vodka are very different to drinking a glass of beer.

As the cannabis market develops and matures so will the demand for cannabis concentrates and cannabis extractions.

Cannabinoids are extracted from cannabis plant material by the use of a solvent, butane, hexane, isopropyl alcohol and ethanol are commonly used to produce cannabis concentrates, however, unless the products are tested for solvent residues some of the solvent used in the extraction process can remain in the final product and some of these residues can be detrimental to health.

Cannabis cultivators and processors should have access to the following tests:

Microbiological test – testing for moulds, bacteria and fungi

Potency testing of cannabis flowers (cannabinoid profile)

Solvent residue testing

And ideally, terpenoid testing

In Spain Bud Buddies have access to testing facilities, they use HPLC testing for all their cannabinoid extracts

The HPLC test shows that the extraction is fully decarboxylated and based on these results preparations with standardized doses can be produced.

Testing standards

There are two main types of testing, Gas Chromatography (GC) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Gas chromatography (GC) is a common type of chromatography used in analytical chemistry for analysing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. Typically, GC analysis is used to determine the purity of a substance, samples are converted to a gas and the gas is then analysed.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is another process used in analytical chemistry to separate, identify, and quantify the individual components in a mixture of compound, HPLC analysis is more suited to the testing of cannabis extractions and preparations than the plant material itself.

Cannabinoid Testing

Cannabinoids produced by the plant are in their natural acid state and to be bioavailable they require transforming from their acid form to a neutral form, this is achieved by the application of heat (or UV light), this process is called decarboxylation. For example, to make THC-acid effective it has to be converted from THC-a to THC, when you inhale cannabis via smoking or vaporisation THC-a is converted (by heat) from THC-a to THC.

However, if THC-a is orally ingested the acidic cannabinoids will remain in their original state and bioavailability will be greatly reduced s THC-a has a low affinity for CB1 receptors.

HPLC analysis allows us to identify the major cannabinoids present in both their acid and neutral forms, GC testing converts cannabinoid acids into cannabinoids so therefore is unsuitable for the testing of orally administered cannabinoid preparations. As HPLC testing does not use heat it can be used to identify and quantify both the acidic and neutral cannabinoids in a sample and this is our preferred testing method. We would require HPLC analysis for cannabinoid extractions, preparations and other products such as medibles, edibles and topicals.

The decision to use GC or HPLC testing will depend on the type or form of the sample and its end purpose.

Terpene Testing

Terpenes are the chemical substances responsible for the aroma of cannabis and many express their own medicinal properties, e.g. anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and neuroprotective effects.

Microbiological Testing

Mould and bacteria exist everywhere and while not all forms are harmful, some microorganisms such as E. coli can be very dangerous.

High levels of microorganisms can be avoided by following good hygiene practises during the cultivation, processing and storage stages.

In Spain in 2014 our colleagues at Fundación CANNA at Valencia University carried out a study in cooperation with 31 Cannabis Social Clubs (CSC’s), over 50 individual samples of cannabis were analysed. The aim of the study was to identify and determine the microorganisms present and they were present in 80% of the samples analysed.

Some of the potentially pathogenic microorganisms that can be found in Cannabis:

Aspergillus genus, spores occur naturally in the environment and they develop rapidly in environments with high humidity levels, they can lead to the production of mycotoxins (aflatoxins) which are highly carcinogenic substances.

Their presence can lead to Aspergillosis, ill people with a compromised immune system can struggle with this fungus and its presence is especially dangerous to people with immunosuppressive disorders.

Penicillium genus, many people are allergic to penicillin.

Enterobacteriaceae, are normally found in soil and faeces and their presence is generally indicative of poor hygiene measures, cultivating with poorly formulated organic fertilisers can also result in contamination. Two enterobacteriaceaes which can be present in cannabis are E.coli and salmonella.

The spores of fungi are often inhaled during smoking and although some of the spores are destroyed (via incineration) the ones not subject to the source of combustion can easily reach the lungs. Cannabis that has not been correctly dried, cured or stored provides an ideal medium for the development of fungi.

Labelling

Cannabis bud (flowers) should be labelled with the following (minimum) information:

With access to such information a cannabis consumer can estimate their cannabinoid intake, e.g. if a consumer uses half a gram (500 mgs) of this Blueberry haze in a joint then they can calculate that their joint will contain 83.5 mgs of THC (16.7% x 500 mgs)

In addition to the information required for labelling bud (flowers), there will also be a requirement to inform on dose per serving for edibles and medibles.

This chocolate bar contains 80 mgs of THC and comprises of 8 squares of chocolate, therefore the amount of THC per serving (or square) is 10 mgs.

Cannamol is a sublingually applied preparation containing both THC & CBD produced in Spain.

Labels inform on the total amount per vial of active ingredients (THC & CBD) and per drop.

All products have a batch number, 1ml = 20 drops.

Labelling is redundant if the consumer does not understand the information

There is also a need for a public education campaign to inform the public and cannabis consumers on how the information provided on the packaging should be interpreted.

In addition to educating the public on ‘safe practise’, labels should also carry prominent warnings regarding “Keep out of reach of children”

One of these Gummy Bears contains THC, but which one?

The one on the left contains 100 mgs of THC

Cannabinoid testing kits are available:

Combining the straightforward diagnostic technique of thin-layer chromatography with specific thin-layers and developing fluid, the alpha-CAT test kit can identify six cannabinoids present in your plant material and their levels of concentration.

Since 2nd March 2015 in the UK it has been an offence for a driver to have in excess of 2µg of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per 100ml of blood. THC levels above this limit are considered to be a positive test and will very likely lead to prosecution.

UK Police have the power to conduct a roadside swab test for cannabis on any driver they suspect of having THC in their system. Either saliva or sweat can be tested and a positive test will result in the driver being arrested on “suspicion”.

A blood sample for evidential purposes will be taken at the police station.

In court, the prosecution does not have to prove that a person’s driving was impaired, the presence of THC in excess of the prescribed limit is sufficient evidence. The minimum penalty upon conviction is to be disqualified from driving for one year and a fine up to £5,000.

Drivers who are prescribed Sativex have a medical defense. However, how the plant derived THC in Sativex is any different from THC in a joint escapes me.

A recent study demonstrating that cannabidiol (CBD) can be converted by the gastric system into tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) could be a potential defense in court.

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Many people are aware of the terms, Sativa, Indica and Ruderalis, however, the vast majority of people are mis-informed regarding their correct definitions.

It turns out that there is just one species of cannabis, with different subspecies. What people generally consider to be cannabis Indica actually originated in Afghanistan so it is actually cannabis Afghanica, cannabis Sativa? well that is actually Ruderalis and cannabis Indica is cannabis Sativa, confused?

Enter a caption

Traditionally

For the past 40 years, the conventional view has been that there are 4 distinct varieties of cannabis plant, namely: cannabis Indica, cannabis Sativa and cannabis Ruderalis. The fourth classification is given to what is now referred to as Hemp, this is the name given to low producing THC cannabis plants which are grown commercially for their seeds, oil and fibre.

Cannabis Indica

This variety originated from the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Local strains were collected from Kashmir, Pakistan, Northern India and Nepal during the early 1960’s and these native plants became the gene pool for many of today’s varieties. They are characteristically stocky and hardy plants that produce broad, maple like leaves and rarely reach heights in excess of 2m (7ft) outdoors, producing dense, tight flowers.

Cannabis Sativa

Sativa varieties originate from equatorial regions and can reach heights in excess of 15 feet (4.5m)

They are easily identified by their thin, slender, spiky leaves.

Cannabis Sativa varieties are sort after for their high THC content and the associated profound and uplifting experience, a total contrast to the more sedative effects of Indica strains.

Cannabis Ruderalis

This is a debated third variety of cannabis found in Russia, Poland, and other eastern European countries, Ruderalis varieties do not require a photo-period to induce flowering.

Latest Findings

The above definitions are mainly due to the work of RichardSchultes, who categorised the varieties in his cannabis taxonomy in the 1970’s, however, it seems that he was in error.

From O’Shaughnessy’s:

“McPartland was the first researcher to look at the genetic markers on the three subspecies of cannabis using the plant’s genome to conclusively identify where it originated. He also proved conclusively that they are all the same species, just different subspecies. As it turns out, cannabis Sativa should have been identified as cannabis Indica, because it originated in India (hence indica) and cannabis Indica should have been identified as cannabis Afghanica, because it actually originated in Afghanistan. Finally, it seems that cannabis Ruderalis is actually what people mean when they refer to cannabis Sativa”

It has been determined by using “DNA barcodes” that cannabis Indica and cannabis Sativa are not separate species, they are both subspecies, separate varieties of one cannabis species.

William Brooke O’Shaughnessy

Everyday I read articles about scientific breakthroughs concerning the medical properties of cannabis, this morning I read an article on how CBD is “a wonder medicine for pediatric epilepsy’ and how Amylea Nunez, aged two months was the youngest patient to be prescribed cannabis oil. However, she is not the youngest and cannabis oil as a treatment in paediatric epilepsy is not a new discovery, it is merely a rediscovery.

Dr WB O’Shaughnessy

In 1840, Victorian Doctors were treating people with extracts of cannabis for many illnesses, including tinctures for treating children with epilepsy.

One of my favourite pioneers was Dr William Brooke O’Shaughnessy MD, an irish physician, surgeon, Professor of chemistry, scientist and innovator, he was a pioneer of ‘intravenous therapy’ and he is the man credited with introducing cannabis to Western medicine.

O’Shaughnessy graduated in 1829 with a Medical Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. In 1831, at the young age of 22, he investigated cholera and his early work led to the development of intravenous fluid and electrolyte-replacement therapy.

In 1833, O’Shaughnessy moved to Calcutta, India to work for the British East India Company and during his time there he developed new cannabinoid extraction techniques which he used is preparations to treat patients suffering from, cholera, tetanus, analgesia, rheumatism and epilepsy in infants.

In India, he initially studied botanical pharmacology and chemistry, publishing his first paper on medical cannabis in 1839.

In his paper “On the preparations of the Indian hemp, or Gunjah” published in the Provincial Medical Journal, London on February 4th, 1843, O’Shaughnessey relates the case of a baby just over a month old who he administered an ethanol (alcohol) cannabis based tincture.

Please remember this was written 173 years ago.

Case of Infantile Convulsions, 1843

“A very interesting case of this disease has recently occurred in my private practice, the particulars of which I have the permission of the family to insert in this paper. A female infant, forty days old, the child of Mr. and Mrs. J. L., of Calcutta, on the 10th of September had a slight attack of convulsions, which recurred chiefly at night for about a fortnight, and for which the usual purgatives-warm baths and a few doses of calomel and chalk-were given without effect. On that day the attacks were almost unceasing, and amounted to regular tetanic paroxysms. The child had, moreover, completely lost appetite and was emaciating rapidly”

“I had by this time exhausted all the usual methods of treatment, and the child was apparently in a binking state. Under these circumstances I stated to the parents the results of the experiments I had made with the hemp, and my conviction that it would relieve their infant if relief could possibly be obtained. They gladly consented to the trial, and a single drop of the spirituous tincture, equal to the one-twentieth part of a grain in weight, was placed on the child’s tongue at 10pm.”

1/20th of a grain is 3.24mgs

“No immediate effect was perceptible, and in an hour and a half two drops more were given. The infant fell asleep in a few minutes, and slept soundly till 4pm, when she awoke, screamed for food, took the breast free!y, and fell asleep again. At 9am, 1st of October, I found the child fast asleep, but easily roused; the pulse, countenance, and skin perfectly natural. In this drowsy state she continued for four days totally free from convulsive symptoms in any form.

“During this time the bowels were frequently spontaneously relieved, and the appetite returned to the natural degree. October 4th, At 1am, convulsions returned and continued at intervals during the day; 5 drop doses of the tincture were given hourly. Up to midnight there were 30 fits, and 44 drops of the tincture of hemp were ineffectually given.”

“Paroxysms continued during the night. At 11am, it was found that the tincture in use during the preceding days had been kept by the servant in a small bottle with a paper stopper, the spirit had evaporated and the whole of the resin had settled on the sides of the phial. The infant had in fact becn taking drops of mere water during the preceding day.”

Always shake cannabis preparations before use and store in the fridge.

“A new preparation was given in 3 drop doses during the 5th and 6th, and increased to 8 drops with the effect of diminishing the violence, though not of preventing the return of the paroxysm. On the 7th I met Dr. Nicholson in consultation, and despairing of a cure from the hemp, it was agreed to intermit its use, to apply a mustard poultice to the epigastrium, and to give a dose of castor oil and turpentine.”

“The child, however, rapidly became worse, and at 2pm, a tetanic spasm set in, which lasted without intermission till 6.30pm. A cold bath was tried without solution of the spasm; the hemp was, therefore, again resorted to, and a dose of 30 drops, equal to one and a-half grains of the resin, given at once.”

Approx: 100mgs

“Immediately after this dose was given the limbs relaxed, the little patient fell fast asleep, and so continued for 13 hours. While asleep, she was evidently under the peculiar influence of the drug. On the 8th October, at 4am, there was a severe fit, and from this hour to 10pm, 25 fits occurred, and 130 drops of the tincture were given in 30 drop doses”

Dr O’Shaughnessy (quite correctly) increased the dose

“It was now manifestly a struggle between the disease and the remedy; but at 10pm, she was again narcotised, and from that hour no fit returned”

“The child is now 17/12/1842 in the enjoyment of robust health, and has regained her natural plump and happy appearance. In reviewing this case several very remarkable circumstances present themselves. At first we find 3 drops, causing profound narcotism, subsequently we find 130 drops daily required to produce the same effect”

He was learning about how tolerance builds, hence the requirement to increase the dose (slowly).

“Should the disease ever recur, it will be a matter of much interest to notice the quantity of the tincture requisite to afford relief. The reader will remember that this infant was but 60 days old when 130 drops were given in one day, of the same preparation of which ten drops had intoxicated the student Dinonath Dhur, who took the drug for experiment”

Dr O’Shaughnessy concludes:

“The preceding cases constitute an abstract of my experience on this subject, and constitute the grounds of my belief that in hemp the profession has gained an anti-convulsive remedy of the greatest value”

The Doctor explains how he prepares his preparations

“The resinous extract is prepared by boiling the rich, adhesive tops of the dried gunjah, in spirit, until all the resin is dissolved. The tincture thus obtained is evaporated to dryness by distillation, or in a vessel placed over a pot of boiling water. The extract softens at a gentle heat, and can be made into pills without any addition”

The alcohol he used was 84.5% ethanol, he was preparing what many people today would refer to as a FECO extraction (full extract cannabis oil).

“Doses, ec.-In tetanus a drachm of the tincture is every half hour until the paroxysms cease, or catalepsy is induced”

A drachm is 1.77 grams and tetanus is also referred to as lockjaw

“In hydrophobia I would recommend the resin in soft pills, to the extent of 10 to 20 grains to be chewed by the patient, and repeated according to the effect”

10 to 20 grains is 0.65 grams to 1.3 grams, and from Dr O’Shaughnessy’s description of the pill making process it is actually cannabis oil as we now know it, 1.3 grams is a very significant dose. Hydrophobia is a common symptom of Rabies.

“With the alcoholic extract made from the tops in the way I recommend the practitioner has only to feel his way, and increase the dose until he produces intoxication as the test of the remedy having taken effect”

“Of all powerful narcotics it is the safest to use with boldness and decision”

Jeff Ditchfield

I would like to remind everyone that the issue with the United Patients Alliance is not with the vast majority of their members. Let us keep in mind that many of our friend’s are members of the UPA, they are good decent people who support the UPA in the hope for a better future.

However, there are rumblings of discontent amongst the membership, there are claims that UPA members are being misled by the company Directors of the United Patient Alliance Co Limited, but first, a little background. I have heard all of my adult life from successive UK Governments that there is a “War on Drugs” and I think it is safe to say that things are not going to change under the UK’s new PM Theresa May, she is not known for being progressive on drugs reform, however she supports ‘corporate interests’.

I recall a conversation I had many years ago with the late, great Howard Marks, he told me that a “war on drugs” was actually a war on drug consumers and therefore a war on people, I recall we were pretty stoned on some very fine haze at the time. But what happens when a Government declares war on a section of its own people? is it a ‘civil war‘? Whatever it is, it is not a war of my choosing or wanting.

The UPA management claim to be fighting the same fight as my colleagues are in the National Cannabis Coalition but do their actions behind the scenes portray a different strategy? A senior UPA member who wishes to be anonymous recently told me that they were concerned that the UPA management were merely paying “lip service” to the right to home cultivation and private cannabis clubs. At their request I had a look at United Patients Alliance Limited company registration number 10188176.

This company has been registered as a private limited company, i.e. a company run for the benefit of its shareholders, if (as they claim) it is a necessity to have an official incorporation then why not as a CIC non-profit company, as the UKCSC have done?

Three of the Directors are sole Directors, however, as well as his Directorship of UPA Limited, Jonathan Liebling is also the sole Director of Darling IT Limited, when a UPA member asked about Lieblings new private limited company, he responded:

“The fact is that neither I (nor anyone else) have been paid anything by EOP or Tendo. Tendo are a professional campaigning org who are being paid to run a professional campaign as they have political nouse and experience.

What I am going to be in receipt of in due course is related to the work UPA and I are doing for the APPG inquiry.

They required a data analytics professional for which they were going to the open market and as I have an IT Consultancy business I offered them a better deal and I will be doing this work which amounts to about 6 days.

I have been completely up front open and honest about this with all at UPA and have their full support and see no reason to defend it with anyone else.”

The Darling IT consultancy business was created in March 2016, it was incorporated to specifically process data gathered from the medical cannabis questionnaire the UPA conducted on behalf of the APPG.

This raises more questions, is Darling IT Ltd, Mr Liebling or the UPA registered under the Data Protection act? Did the people submitting e-mails to the APPG know that their private data would be handled by a private company? How much did the APPG pay Darling IT Limited for the processing the data?

Tendo, is described by Liebling as “a professional campaigning org who are being paid to run a professional campaign” Tendo describe themselves as: “A dynamic agency offering PR, communications, Public Affairs, and Campaigning”

Campaigning is part art, part science. It requires a particular blend of skills, message definition, motivation, engagement, lobbying and organisation. But more important than anything else winning campaigns need passion, belief and commitment.

The above explains why they need the support of passionate people, it is required to make their campaign work, after all, as Tendo state: “campaigning is an art, part science”.

An example of Tendo’s ‘science‘ (some would call it manipulation) is in the document they produced outlining their endourpain campaign:

“The campaign will need a high quality digital presence. We will need to gather a very large number of online supporters in a short timescale. We will need to hit 100,000 to have any credibility with the media and to generate any sense of political momentum. The 100,000 figure is a minimum. Five times that should be a realistic target. And these ‘sign ups’ will need to be engaged with. We will be asking them to do a range of things at the appropriate time. These will include, but not be limited to – contacting their MPs, contacting local and regional media, and spreading the message via their social networks”

They are building an army, but an army of lions? or an army of misled sheep?

“We will also need a number of spokesmen and women”

The Tendo document goes on to say:

“we propose a very nimble structure involving Tom Lloyd as the director of the campaign, Tendo providing the strategic advice to direct the campaign, and Tim Colbourne providing strategic policy advice”

Tim Colbourne is a Director of “Open Reason” (who are a company advising Nick Clegg) on drugs policy, he was also a Special Adviser to Nick Clegg when he was Deputy PM. Mr Colbourne is also not adverse to relationships with lobbyists and big business.

The Tories and Lib Dems vowed to curb relationships with public affairs firms who try to influence policy in favour of the corporate clients who pay them a fortune.But aides, known as special advisers, or “SpAds”, working at the heart of the coalition have been treated to sporting events, concerts and dozens of expensive meals by lobbyists.

And what are Tendo going to do with the 100,000+ email addresses they gather?

“To be successful, we will have to engage with these replies even if only to acknowledge them. That can be quite a time consuming job. Tendo would not be able to fulfil that role. We would look to the technical person, perhaps backed up by some volunteer admin support and with guidance from Tom to fulfil this role”

It is worth mentioning here that many of the Tendo personnel were previously Government advisors and as such they are subject to strict controls when they left Government. They are barred for 2 years from lobbying in regard to private companies, however, are they circumnavigating this restriction? is it lobbying by proxy?

“If we can get many thousands of people interacting with their MPs, including some who need their cannabis for medical use, get the issue high up the media agenda and make use of every parliamentary device and procedure, then we have a strong chance of building up that whirlwind of activity that has a real chance of delivering the result”

10. As a general principle, there will be a two year ban on lobbying Government on behalf of their new employer after they leave the Civil Service.

Lobbying in the context of these Rules means that the former civil servant should not engage in communication with Government (including Ministers, special advisers and officials) with a view to influencing a Government decision or policy in relation to their own interests, or the interests of the organisation by which they are employed, or to whom they are contracted.

Are Tendo lobbying by proxy? if so, is that permitted?

What is the Tendo campaign costing?

Monthly costs approx. £13,000 excluding VAT. We envisage this being funded from a range of sources, including private individuals and grant making bodies.

To fight a high intensity media, lobbying and digital campaign to pressure the UK government into the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes within an 18 month timescale.

Who is providing this funding? I cannot think of any grant making bodies that would fund their campaign and I note corporate sources are not mentioned as a possible resource, why the omission?

It would in fact make sense for Tendo to seek funding from corporate entities, the very people who would directly benefit from a successful Tendo campaign are the ones most likely to fund it, however Tendo would then not be able to gather the public support they require to make their campaign successful. Campaigners are not going to devote their energies to corporate interests.

Which on the face of it sounds reasonable, however, who will supply the prescribed cannabis? Will it be Tilray? or Bedrocan? or GWP? or indeed CLEAR UK run by Peter Reynolds who served 9 months in prison for fraud?

Also in attendance at the September conference will be Tim Colbourne, Adviser to Nick Clegg and Director of Open Reach.

More from Tendo and endourpain

They claim that developing a risk of psychosis is associated with “street cannabis” and not “medical grade cannabis”

Their views on recreational adult consumption of cannabis

On rescheduling cannabis

It is appropriate to mention that the APPG have issued this report, Val Curran is also a member of the Lib Dem’s ‘expert’ cannabis panel and connected to many of the people mentioned in this article:

Why schedule 2? Why not schedule 4 where Sativex is scheduled? Why does sativex get special treatment?

Nearly at 17,000 signatures, but as Tendo admit, they are not processing this information, it is being outsourced, to who? it is a very important question.

The endourpain campaign is just one part of Tendo’s overall strategy. They are behind the recent medical cannabis stories in the TV soap Coronation Street, I do not know if the scriptwriters or indeed the producers of this popular soap are aware that they are delivering a political message to achieve Tendo’s commercial objective?

The Coronation Street storylines:

Erica agreed to buy cannabis for Izzy after she explained that her painkillers weren’t working. At first Izzy wasn’t keen on the idea but she handed over her cash to Erica and ends up smoking the drug to relieve the pain.

Meanwhile, Johnny explains to Izzy that for safety reasons, he can’t allow someone “on dope” to operate a machine.

Izzy talks about the cannabis spray (Sativex) and how she cannot obtain it on prescription as it is only available for people with MS

Having been found guilty of possessing cannabis and causing actual bodily harm, Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston) discovers her fate when she returns to court for sentencing

Who are the experts who have advised the Coronation Street script writers? and an awful lot happens to Izzy over a £20 bag of weed, the experiences of Izzy very conveniently support the issues raised by endourpain.

Producers on the ITV1 soap have worked with experts to ensure the plot explores the legal dilemma faced by people using banned cannabis for pain relief

The impact of these Tendo cannabis storylines have been surprising, the Daily Mirror ran a story:

Back to Mr Liebling, a few days ago he was sounding out some activists on his latest strategy idea, he ‘wondered’ if he could ‘spin’ the case of Nikolas Brown from Dundee to further the UPA/endourpain/Tendo Consulting/Privateer Holdings campaign for corporate cannabis.

“a compelling reason for legal regulation – so the business is not in the hands of this kind of person”

This kind of person? According to the BBC news report on the court case, Nikolas Brown was a “cannabis club manager” who was sentenced to 20 months in prison after being raided and found with over 2 kilos of cannabis and 34g of MDMA.

Every heard that people in glass houses should not throw stones, Mr Liebling?

Below Liebling talks about his arrests and court appearances in his Blog

“Firstly as a student, caught in possession where the police took my 14 grams of “Soap-Bar” hash and proceeded to steal half, and then charge me with possession of the other half. I received a fine that I could not afford and a conditional discharge”

“Secondly when I was about 30 for growing 4 plants, outdoors, on a farm in the middle of nowhere. This time I was threatened with imprisonment but after making grovelling apologies and promising that I would seek help and never do it again, I received another(bigger) fine that I could afford even less and another conditional discharge. This is something that must be considered when listening to the number of “Cannabis users seeking help with their addiction”, how many of those were just saying they had a problem to avoid imprisonment? I have to say that this was ultimately an act of perjury in court – of course I wouldn’t stop”

Grovelling apologies in court are not something I would expect to hear from someone who describes themselves as a cannabis campaigner, some might interpret making promises to a court that you know are false as contempt of court.

Why should anyone take the word of a ‘wannabe’ politician who freely admits that they lie under oath?

“There were more and on each of those occasions the impact on me was loss of a job or education and loss of motivation combined with an increase in my anxiety, feeling disenfranchised from society and let down by our social and justice systems”

So quite a few arrests and court appearances before he turned to cultivation.

“Just as the first 4 plants of my grow were beginning to mature, there was a knock on my door, and there were the police who “had received a tip off” and I was arrested.”

“For the time being I await my final hearing in Liverpool Crown Court court on 4th December 2015 where I will be asked to answer to the charge of Production of a Controlled Drug”

Liebling is in no position to sit in moral judgement on Mr Nikolas Brown.

But his use of words like “spin” and him his attempt to reinvent himself does not really come as a surprise, Mr Liebling has long had political ambitions, a few months ago he was attempting to be accepted as a Lib Dem candidate, however, he did not divulge his criminal convictions and after a meeting of the local constituency office.his application was “disapproved”.

He had to delete his Jonathan Liebling facebook ‘Politician’ page.

I will leave the final comment to the author of the Art of War, Sun Tzu:

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Here is my experience (and views) on the ‘defence of necessity, please note: this is not legal advice, merely the views and interpretations of someone who has been through the process on more than one occasion and it is very likely I will have to do it all again.

The defence of necessity is well established in English criminal law, in essence, it is available when a defendant is arguing that it was necessary for them to commit a crime. In 1883, Sir James Stephen’s Digest of Law identified three requirements for the defence:

(i) the act is needed to avoid inevitable and irreparable evil;

(ii) no more should be done than is reasonably necessary for the purpose to be achieved;

(iii) the evil inflicted must not be disproportionate to the evil avoided.

First, English law does, in extreme circumstances, recognise a defence of necessity. Most commonly this defence arises as duress, that is pressure upon the accused’s will from the wrongful threats or violence of another. Equally however it can arise from other objective dangers threatening the accused or others. Arising thus it is conveniently called “duress of circumstances”.

Secondly, the defence is available only if, from an objective standpoint, the accused can be said to be acting reasonably and proportionately in order to avoid a threat of death or serious injury.

Third, assuming the defence to be open to the accused on his account of the facts, the issue should be left to the jury, who should be directed to determine these two questions: first, was the accused, or may he have been impelled to act as he did because as a result of what he reasonably believed to be the situation he had good cause to fear that otherwise death or serious physical injury would result? Second, if so, may a sober person of reasonable firmness, sharing the characteristics of the accused, have responded to that situation by acting as the accused acted, if the answer to both those questions was yes, then the jury would acquit: the defence of necessity would have been established.”

“Duress” most commonly arises when there is “pressure upon the accused’s will from the wrongful threats or violence of another”.

This is not (generally) the case if I supply cannabis oil to a terminal cancer sufferer, however it could be applicable in Ellie’s (not her real name) case.

Ellie is a 13 year old girl who suffers from Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), which is described by the medical profession as “the most pain a human being can experience” it is also historically known as the “suicide disease” mainly due to the studies by Dr Harvey Cushing which demonstrated 0.6% mortality involving 123 cases of TN during 1896 and 1912.

Ellie’s mother contacted me a year ago regarding her daughter’s TN, describing how Ellie’s attacks could go on for days at a time it was obvious to me that this mother was at the ‘end of her tether’. Ellie had threatened suicide on a number of occasions and as the attacks were intensifying her mother was concerned over her daughter’s mental state.

Ellie was prescribed opiates for analgesia, in the main morphine, however her prescribed medications were ineffective in providing relief. I was asked to provide cannabis by Ellie’s mother as she had spoken to a mother in Colorado who had used cannabis with great success in treating her daughter’s TN. Ellie’s mother had attempted to obtain the cannabis spray Sativex in the UK, however Ellie’s pain consultant advised that he could not prescribe it to her as it was “only available for adults with MS”.

I arranged for a 1:1, 5% tincture of CBD and THC, (the same cannabinoid profile as Sativex) to be delivered and since Ellie has had access to this tincture she hasn’t had a full attack, she reports that if she administers the tincture sublingually (i.e. under the tongue) at the first indications her pain subsides and does not develop into a full TN episode.

Ellie’s Mother reports:

“Two drops every 20 minutes until the pain goes. Usually I only have to give her one dose, it’s amazing! Yesterday though it was a more serious attack and it took a few more doses until the pain was completely gone, then it came back in the evening, but again, one dose and it was gone. It’s helping her so, so much, it’s giving her a quality of life she didn’t have before”

In my opinion, a case such as this is a case of “duress” as identified in R v Martin BTW~ Now Ellie’s fear of a TN attack has been replaced by a fear that her mum will go to prison for administering it to her.

“Duress of circumstances” as clarified by Simon Brown J. (above) “can arise from other objective dangers threatening the accused or others” which (imo) is applicable in supplying cannabis oil to a terminal cancer sufferer. In such a case, are the legal standards met for the use of this defence?

(i) the act is needed to avoid inevitable and irreparable evil;

(ii) no more should be done than is reasonably necessary for the purpose to be achieved;

(iii) the evil inflicted must not be disproportionate to the evil avoided.

In (i), by supplying cannabis oil to a terminal cancer sufferer the supplier is doing so in an effort to avoid the “death” of the person,

In (ii), in treating cancer there is a ‘requirement’ for cannabis oil for life, it could be argued that it is ‘reasonable’ to supply cannabis oil on an ongoing, continuing basis.

In (iii), by avoiding death, the cultivation of cannabis plants, the oil making process and the supply are all ‘lesser evils’ than the death of the cancer sufferer.

The defences of “necessity” and “duress” have some factors in common and they also seem to have been used interchangeably by the judiciary: ref– (M.V Clarkson, H.M.Keating and S.R.Cunningham , Clarkson and Keating Criminal Law , Chapter V ( 7th edn,Sweet & Maxwell, 2010) pg 357).

Why my interest in the defence of necessity?

In 2004, I successfully used the defense of necessity when I was tried at Chester Crown court on charges of ‘intent to supply’ cannabis to a sufferer of Multiple Sclerosis.

ii) On 6th September 2003 Mr Ditchfield’s car was searched by police, and a spectacles case was recovered from its glove compartment, which was found to contain two plastic bags, one of which contained 6.8 gms of cannabis, the other of which contained 6.88 gms of cannabis resin. In interview Mr Ditchfield said that he was a campaigner who thought that sick people should have the right to use cannabis medicinally, and that, if a sick person with a genuine medical need (such as a sufferer from MS) asked him for cannabis, he would give it to him free.

The cannabis in his spectacles case was, he said, of medicinal quality, and was not for his personal use but for supply to anyone with a medical requirement who might need it to relieve their suffering. He said that most of the sick people he knew suffered from terrible diseases, and, although they were prescribed medication, it was cannabis that gave them relief.

Mr Ditchfield was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled drug of Class B with intent to supply contrary to s.5(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, and two corresponding alternative counts of simple possession of such drug contrary to s.5(2).

At Chester Crown court I successfully argued that I should be permitted to use the defense of “necessity”

v) The judge left the defence to the jury, directing them that mental injury can be as serious as physical injury, and leaving them to consider “whether serious injury included the alleviation of symptoms of a dreadful illness like MS”.

Subsequently, the Attorney General referred my case to the Court of Appeal on a question of law.

vi) The Attorney General now seeks the opinion of this Court on the following question of law:

“May the defence of necessity be available to a defendant in respect of an offence of possession of cannabis or cannabis resin with intent to supply, contrary to section 5(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, if his case is that he was in possession of the controlled drug intending to supply it to another for the purpose of alleviating pain arising from a pre-existing illness such as multiple sclerosis?”

The appeal process took over two years and during this time I was on bail yet again for further cannabis offences, it was obvious that the CPS did not want to proceed against me until they had removed the defense of necessity for cannabis cases.

In their ruling the learned Judges came to this conclusion:

Conclusion:

“The judges in Wales and in the Attorney General’s Reference in Ditchfield were wrong to leave the defence of necessity to the jury. In the case of Wales, the jury anyway convicted, but in the case of Ditchfield the jury acquitted.

It follows that all the appeals will be dismissed, and the question of law on which this court’s opinion is sought by the Attorney General in the reference will be answered in the negative.

The Judges explained how they reached their conclusion in their ruling, they clarified that the defense of necessity can, in effect only be used to: “Avoid serious injury or death”.

The Judges went on to rule that severe pain could not be equated with “the with the avoidance of serious injury” and they dismissed the danger of a person committing suicide due to pain as “too remote”.

So why do I think I have the defense of “necessity” back?

The Judges clarified the use of the “necessity” defense:

The detailed requirements of any defence of necessity

72. Extraneous circumstances. Lord Bingham spoke in Hasan of the need for “a just and well-founded fear”, while accepting that threats of death or serious injury will suffice.

By the Judge’s ruling, pain cannot create a well-founded fear that it will lead to serious injury or death,

78. In the case of Wales, the judge is criticised for failing to explain that serious pain could amount to serious injury because of its psychological consequences, but there does not appear to have been any evidence which could have justified such a case. Mr Wales did describe the pain he suffered as “life-threatening” and the judge reminded the jury of this, although it does not appear to have been Mr Wales’s case that there was an actual risk of suicide.

Therefore “necessity” cannot be used as a defence in court against charges of cultivation, production or supplying cannabis to alleviate a person’s pain or suffering.

If I cutivate, produce cannabis oil and supply it to an MS sufferer then I cannot use the defense of necessity, however, as explained above, I believe it can be used as a defense if I commit the same offences in regard to a terminal cancer sufferer.

79. Imminence and immediacy. We consider that these requirements represent another reason why, even at the detailed level, it is difficult to accept that there could be any successful defence of necessity in the cases of Quayle, Wales and Kenny. Their defences amount to saying that it is open to defendants on a continuous basis to plan for and justify breaches of the law. However, we need not express a view whether that would have alone justified a judge in refusing to leave their defences to a jury. The requirements of imminence and immediacy mean, in any event, in our view that the judge was right to refuse to leave any defence of necessity to the jury in Taylor and Lee, and that the defence should not have been left to the jury in Ditchfield. In each of these three cases, the defendant was taking a deliberately considered course of conduct over a substantial period of time, involving continuous or regular breaches of the law. In each case, the defendant was not the immediate sufferer and had every opportunity to reflect and to desist. The compassionate grounds which may well have motivated Mr Taylor and Ms Lee and which the jury evidently accepted did motivate Mr Ditchfield cannot avoid the fact that they deliberately chose to act contrary to the law on a continuous basis.

This is where it gets interesting: Another test of the defense is ‘imminence and immediacy’ I would argue that in the case of a terminal cancer sufferer who has been informed that there is no further treatment available and that they they only have 6 t 12 months to live passes this test.

81. The point made in paragraphs 79-80 may also be viewed in another way. Where there is no imminent or immediate threat or peril, but only a general assertion of an internal motivation to engage in prohibited activities in order to prevent or alleviate pain, it is also difficult to identify any extraneous or objective factors by reference to which a jury could be expected to measure whether the motivation was such as to override the defendant’s will or to force him to act as he did.

A Jury will understand me being motivated by a request from a parent of a dying or a seriously ill child, I can guarantee they will understand, if I cannot make them understand then that will be my failing, not theirs.

I also take issue with this point:

“they deliberately chose to act contrary to the law on a continuous basis”

Deliberate? all my decisions to break the law have been forced upon me by the law itself, the Home Office is responsible for cannabis being in schedule 1 of the MDA 1971, and this denies clinicians in the UK the power to prescribe cannabis oil even to terminal cancer patients. If Doctors could prescribe preparations of 1:1 THC:CBD oil I would not be compelled to commit the acts I do.

In June this year I seriously considered walking into a UK police station with 1 gram of cannabis oil and informing the police that it was my intention to give the oil to a terminal cancer sufferer, this act would have certainly have answered my question. However, if I had taken that course of action, many of my current plans and important projects would have gone by the wayside.

My duress? that comes from the law, and in the words of Thomas Jefferson: “If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so”. How can I respect a law that has cannabis in schedule 1 deeming it to have no medicinal value when the contrary is obviously true?

If Doctors and Oncologists could prescribe cannabis oil then I would not have to break the law.

We have seen above that many learned Judges over hundreds of years have given great thought to the meaning of “duress”, my definition of duress? Is a desperate parent begging me to supply cannabis oil to treat their dying child, how can I refuse?

“The compassionate grounds which may well have motivated Mr Taylor and Ms Lee and which the jury evidently accepted did motivate Mr Ditchfield cannot avoid the fact that they deliberately chose to act contrary to the law on a continuous basis”

And the fact that I still continue to break the law is not a “choice” it is a “necessity”

At first glance the proposals look like great news for cannabis consumers, they include the commercial sale of cannabis to over 18’s from licensed outlets and they would permit regulated home cultivation, however as with all political initiatives the devil is in the detail, the Lib Dem’s actually only propose to permit the sale of three varieties of cannabis:

5% THC, 10% THC and a variety with a maximum of 15% THC and they all must contain a minimum of 4% CBD

According to the Liberal Democrats expert panel the sales of edibles, extracts, and even hash will not be permitted, not only are these proposals Prohibition Lite they are also totally impractical.

The endourpain mission is to enable GP’s within 18 months to prescribe Bedrocan and Sativex but what about cannabis oil for cancer sufferers?

I was recently asked about the endourpain campaign, “are you prepared to accept half in the hope that you can get the rest later, or do you refuse to compromise?”

Actually I refuse to compromise.

Activists campaigning to end slavery 200 years ago did not accept a compromise for slaves to have a few hours off on a Sunday afternoon in the ‘hope’ that they could be free at later time, there cannot be a compromise on human rights.

Disclaimer

Despite the many benefits of this fantastic plant the possession and the cultivation of cannabis remains illegal in many parts of the world, the reader of this guide must check the legality of cannabis in their jurisdiction.

Please be aware that much of the information on this site (if put into practise) could bring you into conflict with the authorities.

In some countries the possession of cannabis seeds is a criminal offence and even though the prohibition of cannabis causes more harm than the plant itself it is not our intention to incite or encourage anyone to break any law